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(07-15-2021 12:24 PM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Is there anything in the rules that is keeping Nike from giving a player an deal.

Not at all...why would the size of the company matter? I would assume they would only give money to athletes at Nike schools though, otherwise it would get a little hairy with the apparel deals. Then again, there was nothing to stop them from doing that for years before, and even when they were caught, nothing truly happened to anyone involved .

For companies that don't have a raving lunatic at the head, this will all be about market permeation...if there is a Zion Williamson out there with 5M instagram follows and who is a household name in HS, then yeah, he's getting that check (like he deserves to). Nike isn't going to be handing out crazy checks to every player under the sun though, they're smarter than that. That's the thing, people aren't going to be dropping money to support 3*s who aren't going to see the field for 2 years...the pre-enrollment money, if it is even legal (which I think there is something in the original brief saying the exact opposite) is only going to the top 10-20 players annually IF THAT in my opinion...you're not really gaining anything after that because no one knows who they are. It's funny to think about, but the ones who stand to gain the most from this are likely the female athletes who have crazy social media followings, not the faceless players on the gridiron.